Benefield: Santa Rosa High School's Emily Codding back on top after injury

Don Codding didn't last long with his left hand.

For a stretch way back when, Codding's games of driveway basketball with his older daughter were a little lopsided so dad started playing with his left hand. But Emily Codding, now a senior at Santa Rosa High, clawed her way back into competition.

Dad had seen enough. He quickly reverted to his dominant hand.

“It was probably her freshman year,” he said of the moment he realized he could no longer afford a handicap. “That's when I'm going, ‘Yeah, no.'”

Emily Codding has been making opponents cry “Yeah, no” ever since.

The rangy 6-foot-1 guard who is St. Mary's-bound on a hoops scholarship puts up astonishing numbers: 16 points, 11 rebounds, nearly three assists and three steals and more than four blocks per game.

And get this - those numbers are slightly down from last year after Codding, in just the second game of the season, sprained her ankle and was out for the next seven contests.

Santa Rosa coach Luis Patrick remembers the air going out of the gym (at least on the Panthers' side) when it happened.

“Our confidence is rolling, we are on an 8-0 run,” he said. “We went up for a rebound and she rolled her ankle. The energy just dropped. For our bench, even for me, I'm just like ‘Oh man.'”

Who could blame him?

Codding leads the team in every conceivable stat category, except for three's. There, she's third.

When she was out, the Panthers went 1-6 overall and 1-3 against Division 1 schools - a key factor in determining postseason eligibility. After Tuesday night's 62-31 win against Ukiah, the Panthers were 12-13 overall and 9-4 in the North Bay League. After losing a 55-53 barn burner at home to Montgomery on Jan. 20, the Panthers will travel across town Thursday night to take on the Vikings in a likely battle for second place.

But it's not exactly how Codding saw her senior campaign unfolding.

“That was my first injury that put me out,” she said. “I would definitely say there were tears in the beginning.”

“It was very rough on the whole team,” said senior Ally McCulloch, a teammate since third grade. “We really needed to pull from every aspect of our team to make up for everything she brings.”

What Codding brings is a breathtaking array of skills.

She runs the point for the Panthers - a nod toward developing her skills for NCAA Division 1 competition. Codding can post up or shoot from behind the arc. She can drive or pull up for a 15-footer. Her versatility and competitive streak must have their origins in those driveway games with her dad playing lefty.

“We have always had a big hoop and court in our front yard,” she said. “(Basketball) has pretty much taken over our front yard.”

Emily's younger sister, Kamaren, is a freshman on the squad.

“We were playing horse, one-on-one tournaments,” Emily Codding said.

And when it wasn't in the driveway, it was AAU ball in Daly City or tournaments around the country. That's a lot of travel time for father and daughter.

“I don't miss any games,” Don Codding said. “I'm with her the entire time. It's always been me and her the entire time.”

Which made her injury difficult not just for player, but for team, coach and dad.

“It was tough,” Don Codding said.

“But it was good for her because she got to experience what it was like, what happens mentally,” he said. “She bounced back strong.”

That was the idea, Patrick said. He kept her out perhaps longer than she wanted. The coach tried to take the long view when his star went down.

“She's going to St. Mary's next year. I had to keep that in mind,” he said. “It's the bigger picture for her. At the time, during the tournaments, I was like ‘This isn't worth it.' She gets it. She understood that I was looking out for her. When you realize that, it's hard to argue against it. It was hard to be patient, but it will come.”

What is not assured is that the Panthers' season will extend beyond this week or perhaps the NBL tournament. Codding said it's her goal for the Panthers to finish strong but she is trying to remain philosophical. She said she learned some things while she was sidelined for four weeks. Communication was one, a better view into the flow of the game was another. But perhaps most importantly, was just how much she loves to be on the floor.

“It hurt me not to be able to play,” she said. “But I have more basketball to look forward to in the coming year. I'm not done.”

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield. Podcasting on iTunes and SoundCloud “Overtime with Kerry Benefield.”